Super Lawyers names North Carolina's top lawyers as chosen by their peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics. The list of 2009 North Carolina Super Lawyers is based on surveys of more than 17,000 active lawyers across the state who have been in practice for five years or more. The goal was to select as Super Lawyers the top 5 percent of North Carolina attorneys in more than 70 practice areas. The list of North Carolina Super Lawyers is published annually in the February issues of Charlotte magazine and North Carolina Super Lawyers.